Original subtitles

My name is Thomas Vale, or at least it was.

I'm a photographer. I had it all.

A wife, Allison.

Friends, a career.

And in one moment, it was all taken away.

All because of a single photograph.

I have it.

They want it. And they will do anything to get the negatives.

I'm keeping this diary as proof that these events are real.

I know they are.

They have to be.

There's an anonymity to the city, a certain coldness and distance.

I remember sometimes how I'd try to shake that feeling off.

It's ironic that over the last few months,

I've come to see it as a shelter and protection,

a wall that separates me from my thoughts, from who I was, a refuge,

a place to hide in broad daylight.

1-8-5, this is dispatch. Yes, 1-8-5, what's up?

I got a boonies run for you at 228 South Maple.

Yeah, okay. Oh, that's over the bridge, right?

Straight out 130, about 8 miles.

Okay, I'm on it.

God, are you all right?

I don't know. I think so.

Look, here, let me help you.

Ow, my leg. I don't think I can move it.

Okay, okay. Do you live around here?

A few blocks away.

All right, look, I'm... Just stay still, okay?

I'm gonna get on the radio, and I'm gonna call for some help. You're gonna be okay.

It's 185. Come in.

Where the hell are you, pal? Your pickup called five minutes ago.

There's been an accident. I need an ambulance out in Oakcrest.

I'm at the corner of Maple Drive and Redmond.

How bad is it?

I don't know. It's a little girl. Her leg may be broken.

Just get an ambulance out here, all right?

How you doing?

I'm okay. Am I gonna get in trouble for this?

No, I don't think so, sweetheart.

Just relax and wait till the ambulance comes, okay?

Will I have to go to the hospital?

I don't know. Let's just wait and see when they get here.

Maybe I can just go home.

Well, let's just wait and see, okay?

Here they are. Here they are.

Hey.

Hey, how you doing there, kiddo?

I'm OK, but my leg hurts.

OK, well, we're going to get you fixed up right away, all right?

What happened? She was riding her bike and came out the driveway,

and I didn't see her. Is she going to be OK?

You mean will she live to tell the jury what happened?

Yeah, it looks that way.

God, I hope I didn't mess up this dress. Does it look okay?

It looks fine.

My mom throws a real fit when I play my school clothes.

Is he gonna be okay?

No, he'll be all right. He's just gonna sleep for a while.

Yeah, well, I better get home before I get yelled at.

Okay, I'll talk to you real soon. Hey, be real good.

Okay, bye.

Come on, you want to give me a hand here?

We've induced a level 15 trance state.

Before we perfected this process, level 10 was the deepest we thought possible.

He's responding beautifully.

As long as it works.

As long as it works.

This man is very important to these people, and I've made certain guarantees.

Oh, it'll work.

At level 15, we can produce fully reliable negative and positive hallucinations.

We'll have complete control over a sense of time and space.

If we tell them a year has passed, they'll experience it.

I mean, a month, a day, it doesn't matter. If

we want him to believe it, he'll believe it.

You wouldn't be the first to underestimate him, you know.

You read the Bellamy file.

He was a fool.

His conditioning techniques are the psychological equivalent

of eight-track capes. He was a dinosaur.

Just like them, he's now extinct.

Look, you cannot attack this man directly.

Now, Bellamy's problem was that he threatened Val's sanity,

and when that didn't work, his life.

Now, it's very clear from his profile that he has little fear of losing either.

Oh, but he does have a weak spot.

He's compassionate.

And if he believes that someone he cares about,

someone who's really important to him, is in danger,

he'll tell us what we want to know.

The subject is ready, Doctor.

All right.

Let's fall in love.

You remember when you first met Karen, don't you, Tom?

What was it now?

Ten months ago. It was April.

That was a glorious, picture-perfect day. You remember being in the park,

and you remember feeling wonderful,

even before you knew that today was the day that

you were going to meet the love of your life.

It's gonna be perfect. Okay, okay, okay, honey,

move over to the left. Come on, come on.

Okay, come on, move over a little, a little over

to the left. Come on, honey, come on, come on.

Hey, hey, hey, you okay?

I think so.

They say the measure of a dedicated photographer

is just how far you'll go to get the photograph.

Yeah, well, I'm not sure I'm as dedicated as I look.

Give me your hand.

What? No, no.

Thank you.

Thank you. You're welcome.

Do they have anything clever to say about the measure of a dedicated rescuer?

The only thing that comes to mind is something about the blind leading the blind.

I didn't have to bring a lifeboat with you.

Actually, you were supposed to be my lifeboat.

Well, see, it usually takes a tragedy like this before they'll do something.

I mean, from now on, ponds like this are going to have to have a lifeboat,

one for every two photographers.

Are you a photographer?

Mm-hmm. But I prefer the more low-risk assignments.

I hear you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next show at 11. Please. Here, here you go.

Okay?

Here.

My hero. Thank you.

Hi, Tom Vale.

Oh, um, Karen Stolk.

God, I hope I got the picture. Bad, huh? Not good.

Should we, uh, find a place in the sun, dry off?

Yeah, that'd be great.

After you.

Thanks.

So what kind of pictures do you take?

I'm a photojournalist, but most of my stuff is a little less on the sunny side.

Well, that's great. Would I have seen your stuff anywhere?

Yeah, probably. I've done work for a lot of the wire services,

but I'm pretty much freelance now.

Are you good?

Yeah, it depends on who you ask, but if you were to ask me,

I'd say I'm one of the best.

Oh, it's just your self-esteem that needs work.

Yeah, and I'm working on it.

Well, you're doing very well.

Do you think about giving lessons?

Mostly never.

Does that include people who really need lessons or risk drowning?

I think CPR might be more valuable than photography.

I think it's hard to drown in two and a half feet of water.

Why do I get the feeling that if anyone can manage that, you could?

See, you're already getting to know me.

Look, I would really like to get better at this than I clearly am.

What would it cost me just for some starter lessons, you know,

just for your basic photography, one-on-one kind of thing?

How about some dry clothes and an Italian dinner?

Don't cook.

Then we're safe. It's on me.

Okay.

I think this is gonna be my lucky roll.

Your work is so wonderful.

No, no, I mean it. I mean it. It's so powerful. It has so much emotion.

Thanks.

It's that obvious?

Yeah.

No, I mean it, um, it makes you feel something. It makes you feel, um, I don't know.

Dry?

No.

Coffee?

Yeah, do you have milk?

Only last year's.

Okay, black will be fine.

I've only been living here for about ten weeks now.

Where are you from?

Oh, one of those places you've never heard of before.

It's about 100 miles north of here. Thanks.

I've been having second thoughts about staying, though.

You know, coming to the big city and all, it can be... It can get pretty lonely.

Yeah? It has its disadvantages.

Hmm.

Right now, I'm glad I stayed.

Right now, I don't feel so lonely.

That's a good thing.

Yes.

He's in.

He's hers.

He's ours.

All right, system down.

Is everything all right?

By the numbers, you're doing great.

And he really believes that all of this is real?

No, no, he knows that it's real.

The day that you met in the park has now become a pleasant,

permanent part of his memory.

Well, I'm not so sure he's going to be as easy to crack as you think.

It's funny.

I don't remember when I looked at your resume that you had a degree in psychology.

Maybe not, doctor, but while you were outscoring

your 4.0 grade point average, I was outscoring.

I've known a lot of men, and most go over real easy because

they spend a lot of time believing that they don't.

This one? I don't know.

Some things you just don't learn in books.

It's all right.

You're in the hospital.

The hospital?

You had an accident in your calf, but you're fine.

Just a slight concussion.

Here, try to get this down. You're dehydrated.

She's very pretty. Wife? Oh, no.

No, it's not my wife.

Girlfriend?

Yeah, yeah, she's my girlfriend. It's Karen.

She's a lucky lady.

You're both lucky.

Now get some rest.

If you need anything, just let me know.

He doesn't seem very convinced.

He's only had one treatment.

Look, we're already pushing him faster than I wanted to.

He's gonna be fined.

Fine? Is that the word you want me to use in my report to the director, fine?

Look, we need one more induction before we introduce her to his waking mind. Now,

I promise you, when we bring them together in the real world...

She will be the most important person in his life.

That window looks out on an alley.

I have to ask you something, Tom.

And you have to promise me that you'll be honest.

Are you losing patience with me?

Why?

Why would you even think that?

Maybe because we've been going out for three months now,

and we've never gotten past the serious necking stage.

I noticed, I know.

I'm not a prude.

No, I didn't think you were.

It's not some kind of, you know, bizarre religious thing or anything. No. I mean,

you must have thought about it.

Yeah, I have. But I just figured, you know, you'd let me know when you were ready.

Are you for real?

Well, let's just take our clothes off and find out.

But this attitude is going to make it kind of difficult to raise a family.

I have to tell you something, Tom.

Um, but before I tell you, um...

I just want you to know that you are probably

the most amazing man that I've ever met.

The most thoughtful and the brightest.

But?

There's someone else.

Perfect.

Blood pressure, heart rate, GSR, respiration.

He's anxious.

He's hurting. In love, Grant.

It's not what you think. You don't know what I think.

Tom, Mark and I have been together since just after I got out of high school,

and it's like a hundred miles away, and it feels like a hundred years ago.

And it's over. It's been over for like two years. But we've both, you know,

we've just avoided saying it.

So now you've got two guys on hold.

No, that's not what I want. I want to be with you.

I just have to finish one thing before I start another.

Can't you understand that?

Well, it would be easier if I couldn't, I guess.

Well, I'm gonna... I'm gonna talk to Mark.

I'm gonna leave tomorrow.

How long are you gonna be gone?

I don't know.

Two weeks?

It's a long conversation. I thought about phoning.

Let me do this the way that I need to do it.

Two weeks is not the end of the world.

No, it just feels like it, I guess.

I really care about you.

Let's talk about that in two weeks.

We needed you ten minutes ago.

I need to look great.

Look, he has known you for the past four months.

I'm sure he'll be happy to see you any way you look.

Yeah, but those first four months were just in his head. This time it's for real.

It's all the same for him. It's just we're moving on to the next step. No drugs,

no induction, no electronics.

We just have to make sure that his waking mind will accept everything we've started.

Great, then I'm sure his waking mind will have an easier

time accepting everything we started if I look my best.

I need 10 minutes, okay?

Thank you.

You're right there.

Can I come in?

This is not working.

He's confused.

Is everything okay?

God, I missed you.

Very good. Thank you. Yeah, well, you're the photographer.

Yeah, you're starting to develop a real nice eye for this sort of thing.

Well, they're both pretty nice, actually.

Just one?

Well, I had a pretty good teacher.

Okay, let's get a better look at this.

Alrighty, let's just have a look at this here.

So you see this area here?

This area here?

So you're starting to lose the background. It's getting soft on you.

Hey, do you ever think about what it would be

like if you didn't go to the park that day?

You know, we don't have to do this, Karen.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't pay attention.

Um, the background.

Yeah, you're just starting to lose focus right around here.

So it'd probably be better if you either went completely

soft to keep this whole area of interest,

or make the whole area sharp.

Depth of field.

Yeah, which you can arrive at several different ways,

but basically what you want to do is just see

the picture in your mind before you take it,

because it's all there. You just have to record it.

So that's how you think of yourself?

A recorder?

I made some coffee. You want to go?

Yeah, yeah, good.

Go, go, go.

Alison, you okay? Oh.

All right?

Who's Allison?

One of the many femme fatales of my life, I guess.

Oh, really, the secret life of Tom Bale.

And I thought I knew everything there was to know.

You know the important stuff.

Yeah, beginning to wonder.

And I also smell like you could dunk a donut in me.

What the hell has happened to him?

We have implanted four months' worth of memories in this man in the last three days.

Now, we have to let him live the reality for a while, give things a go.

We just have a while, Doctor. Look, you said I had a week.

Yes, and everything is going according to anticipated results and reactions.

That you should be back in there,

because if he expects to find you in there and you're not,

you'll damage the reality.

Who's Allison?

That is not your affair.

Yes, this is my affair, Mr. 4.0.

And that irks you, doesn't it? Because with all your drugs and all your machines,

he has something you don't. And from what I can tell, he's got two of them.

We'd better prepare for these things if we let her in on this project.

No. The more she knows, the more likely she'd be to give herself away.

Did you notice the honesty of her response when she asked him about Allison?

No. In the end, we will live or die by the smallest of details.

I love you.

You know what I was thinking about?

Fulfilling my every fantasy.

Well, I always think about that.

I was thinking about how lucky I am and how special you are.

Hey.

You okay? What's wrong?

I don't know.

This is just... This isn't right.

What? I don't understand. What are you saying?

This, uh... I'm not right about this.

Hey, hey.

Don't, don't, don't, don't touch me.

I'm sorry.

Tom, just talk to me, okay?

Just get away from me. Just don't touch me.

You hear what I'm saying? I don't know you.

Just get away from me.

Tom, please, what's wrong? Let's just go back to bed.

Who is Allison?

I asked you a question!

I don't know, I swear, Tom, I don't know, okay? Who is Allison?

According to schedule? Yes, sir.

We've made him a priority one.

Yes, yes, and you will have them at the end of the week.

Very good, sir.

24 hours, that is the bottom line.

You said we had a... 24 hours, we have no more choice.

You're going to have to push him as far as he can go.

He's already riding an emotional edge. If I push him any farther...

You see this woman.

Look at her.

She's very beautiful.

Very special.

She's everything you've ever wanted, everything you care for.

She's the most beautiful woman you've ever met in your life.

Her breath is your breath.

Her heartbeat, yours.

She brings you contentment, peace of mind, happiness.

Well, I want you to think.

About how it would feel to lose her if she were to leave you.

Or if something would have happened to her.

You can feel it in your stomach, can't you? It's hard to breathe. I mean,

just the thought of losing her.

The truth is that you cannot live without her.

Without knowing that every time she leaves the house,

that she will be coming back to you.

She is...

Everything.

And the only thing that makes your life worthwhile.

The only time that you're at peace is when she's near you.

She is what keeps you going. There's never

been anyone else, and there never will be.

Hi, this is Karen.

I'm not here right now, but please leave a message.

Hello. Hello.

Yes, this is Dr. Gray from Holy Cross Hospital.

Are you related to a woman named Karen Stoke?

Yes.

No, she's a friend of mine.

What's wrong?

I'm sorry to say there's been an accident.

She's still in surgery.

The doctor will come out and talk to you as soon as they're done.

What happened? How is she?

She suffered some rather severe internal injuries.

But Dr. Hamilton is a wonderful surgeon. She's in good hands.

Are you Tom?

Yeah.

Yes, why?

She's going to need your support.

From what she was saying when she was brought in,

I take it that you two had an argument.

She kept telling us to call you and apologize for anything

she might have done. She loves you very much.

Are you Miss Stokes' friend?

Yes, I am.

Is she okay? She's a lucky young woman.

Her ribcage punctured her left lung. Fortunately,

it wasn't as serious as we initially thought. Given time to heal,

she'll be just fine. Can I see her?

For a minute. She's still groggy from the anesthetic, and she needs to rest.

Oh, God, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just love you so much,

and if anything were to ever happen to you, I just don't think I could live.

I'm sorry.

Oh, the sun. I will never take you for granted again.

Or I you.

You know what got me through this?

Heavy medication?

No.

Knowing that you would be there and knowing that you cared about me.

What's that?

And this.

You don't remember a girl, a camera, a park, and a pond? You still have that? Yeah,

I told you, it's my good luck charm.

You think of the pee-pee from rolling recklessly downhill while I go get the car?

Yeah, I told you, it has magical powers. I can do anything with it.

It won't hurt the magic to keep this in park.

I love you.

I'll even share my magic charm with you.

I'll try and live up to it.

I love you too.

Hey! Hey!

Wait, wait.

You will come to 4655 Southwest 18th Street.

There's a service buzzer at the entrance. One hour. Or she dies.

Listen, if you'd...

The ground rules.

As we speak, your girlfriend has an intravenous needle inserted into her arm.

We've chosen a large, healthy vein.

The chemicals we use are similar to those used in lethal injection.

Only the muscle relaxant used to avoid intense pain has been eliminated.

What do you want?

If you hesitate to answer my questions, she will die.

If you answer any of my questions untruthfully, she will die.

When you get what you want, she will die. You'll have to take that chance.

What do you want? What is your name?

Thomas Vail.

You're sure of that?

What is your marital status?

Single.

But hoping to change that, I gather.

Is that a question? What is your occupation?

I'm a photographer, but I'm sure you already know that.

Are you familiar with a photograph titled Hidden Agenda?

You know I am!

What can you tell me about that photograph?

It's well composed. It's in focus.

It's very professional. With whom have you discussed that photograph?

A number of people. My publisher...

Some friends.

And what was the nature of that discussion?

Why don't you just get to the point?

I don't remember every conversation I had about

a photograph I took two and a half years ago.

What do you want to know?

What did you do with the negatives?

The drugs we are using on Miss Stoke paralyzed the autonomic nervous system.

At first, she'll have difficulty swallowing.

Her muscles won't react to her commands.

A minute or so later, she'll try to remember just what

it is she has to do to take air into her lungs.

What did you do with the natives?

She's running out of time, Mr. Vale. Allison.

My wife's name is Allison. My wife's name is Allison.

We have a German shepherd named Newt who lives in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Miss Stoke will die if you don't answer the question.

My wife's name is Allison.

The Stoke will die if you don't answer my question.

I was on assignment in St. Louis.

Her mother's name is Laura. Her father's name is Sam.

What am I doing here?

Who the hell are you people?

Yes, sir, I understand.

First thing in the morning. Yes, we will.

I had to double his dosage with the sedatives

to calm him down. They're calling us back.

Why?

There's still a chance we can rebuild his memory.

What, five minutes? Half an hour? I don't think you understand the way they think,

Doctor. They expected results, and we failed.

The director wants to see us, personally.

Removal.

That's usually the way they deal with failure.

What if he died?

He's too important.

That would be turning him into failure.

No, not if the failure fell into their court and became their responsibility.

Say more.

Well, we've been experimenting with this new drug.

Yes.

This interesting side effect in that it weakens

the walls of the ventricular chamber.

Heart attack? No, far more severe.

The autopsies we performed on the test subjects showed that

we were dealing with some form of congenital heart disease.

The patient's hearts had literally burst inside the chest cavity.

His file shows him to be in perfect health.

His file came from Central City's operations.

But how will we know that the stresses that we would put him through would kill him?

What if they find traces of the drug in his system?

No.

There's no fingerprint for the compound. It's too new.

And besides, the body breaks it down into basic amino

acids within two hours of being administered.

And even if they do catch on, the end result will still be removal.

How long would it take you to get this drug?

I have some in my office pharmacy. An hour.

It works more quickly if it's injected directly into the heart.

What the hell do you think you're doing?

I said stay away from him.

I don't have time for this.

No!

You're next, so back off!

You can kill me, but there'll be others, and you know it.

Yeah, well, I don't care.

But think about what you're saying. This has all been a fantasy.

It's been scripted and prepared, and you're playing a part, and none of it is real.

Yeah, well, maybe not to you.

Yeah, but he would have given it all up for me now, wouldn't he?

If it hadn't been for that watch gift.

You're in love with him.

Don't!

Tom? Hey, I'm gonna take you someplace now, okay?

Come on, we're gonna...

Because the two of us, we're gonna go someplace,

and I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you. Okay? Nobody's

gonna ever hurt you again. Okay?

Oh, God, Tom. Tom.

Tom, please.

When you wake up, yeah, yeah, okay? I'm gonna take you out to my car, okay?

We don't have much time, because they're gonna come after us. I know you can do it.

Come with me.

It's hard to remember it far, okay?

Get out of here.

I can feel it in your stomach, can't you? It's hard to breathe. I mean,

just the thought of losing her.

The truth is that you cannot live without her.

Without knowing that every time she leaves the house,

that she will be coming back to you.

She is everything, and the only thing that makes The only

time that you're at peace is when she's near you.

She is what keeps you going.

There's never been anyone else, and there never will be.

Without her love, you will die.